Breathwork Glossary

A paced pattern of inhaling for four counts, holding for seven, and exhaling for eight. It is commonly used for winding down and is often mentioned in sleep-related breathwork.

Also known as: Up-regulation and down-regulation

Everyday terms for shifts toward greater alertness or toward settling. Breathing can influence arousal, but responses depend on the pattern, context, and person rather than a simple on-off switch.

Immediate support after a session, such as time to settle, hydration, warmth, orientation, and a clear way to ask for help. It is distinct from longer-term integration and does not replace medical or psychological care.

Also known as: Urge to breathe

The uncomfortable urge to breathe, strongly influenced by rising carbon dioxide as well as oxygen and other signals. It should not be treated as a competition or proof of progress.

The most abundant protein in blood plasma. As blood pH rises, albumin binds more calcium, temporarily reducing the free ionized calcium available to nerves and muscles.

Also known as: ASC, Non-ordinary states

A temporary shift in perception, emotion, body awareness, or sense of self. Intensive breathing can contribute to such states, but experiences vary widely.

Also known as: ANS

The part of the nervous system that regulates functions we do not consciously control, such as heart rate and digestion. Breathing is unusual because it runs automatically but can also be controlled voluntarily, which is why breathing patterns can influence how alert or relaxed we feel.

A feedback system that helps stabilize blood pressure by adjusting heart rate and blood-vessel tone. Slow breathing can interact with this rhythm and heart-rate variability.

Also known as: Bellows breath

A vigorous yogic practice of forceful, equal inhales and exhales, like a blacksmith's bellows. It strongly activates the nervous system and requires caution with the same contraindications as other intense techniques.

Also known as: Humming bee breath

A pranayama practice in which you exhale with a steady humming sound, often with the ears gently closed. It is commonly used as a calming practice and is described as increasing nasal nitric oxide.

A body-oriented psychotherapy developed by Alexander Lowen and colleagues from the work of Wilhelm Reich. It uses breath, posture, grounding, movement, and expression to explore links between bodily patterns and emotional experience.

A measure of how acidic or alkaline blood is. Breathing changes carbon dioxide and can shift pH temporarily; the body normally regulates it within a narrow range.

Also known as: Body-oriented psychotherapy

A family of psychotherapeutic approaches that includes bodily sensation, posture, movement, and breathing alongside psychological reflection. It influenced several twentieth-century breathwork schools.

The influence of carbon dioxide and acidity on how readily haemoglobin releases oxygen into tissues. Lower CO₂ can make oxygen release less efficient even when blood oxygen saturation is high.

Also known as: Sama vritti, Square breathing

A paced practice with four equal phases: inhale, hold, exhale, and hold. It is commonly used to steady attention and regulate arousal.

Also known as: Mindful breathing

Observing the breath without necessarily changing it. Attention may rest on airflow, movement, rhythm, or sensation and can form a gentle basis for meditation or breath practice.

Also known as: Kumbhaka

A deliberate pause after an inhale or exhale. Retentions change carbon dioxide and oxygen levels and should be approached gradually, seated or lying down, and never in water or while driving.

The combined rhythm, depth, route, and timing of breathing. A pattern includes whether breathing is nasal or oral, fast or slow, shallow or deep, and whether pauses are present.

Also known as: Breath work

An umbrella term for intentional practices that use breathing patterns to influence attention, arousal, body awareness, or subjective experience. Methods differ greatly in intensity, aims, evidence, and safety requirements.

A breathing-retraining approach from Soviet-era Ukraine and Russia that emphasizes reduced breathing volume, nasal breathing, and breath holds. It is often discussed in relation to asthma and dysfunctional breathing patterns.

Also known as: PaCO₂, CO₂ partial pressure

A measure of the pressure contributed by dissolved carbon dioxide in blood. When ventilation exceeds the body’s CO₂ production, this value falls and can initiate respiratory alkalosis.

A weak acid formed when carbon dioxide dissolves in water, including blood. When CO₂ falls, less carbonic acid and fewer hydrogen ions are present, so blood pH rises.

Also known as: Narrowing of cerebral blood vessels

Narrowing of blood vessels in the brain. A rapid fall in CO₂ can cause this response, temporarily reducing cerebral blood flow and contributing to dizziness or light-headedness.

Minimally processed cacao traditionally used in rituals and group settings. It contains theobromine and is sometimes combined with breathwork; people sensitive to stimulants should approach it mindfully.

Sensors in the brain and blood vessels that help regulate breathing by responding to carbon dioxide, acidity, and oxygen. They contribute to the urge to breathe during a breath hold.

A participant's ongoing freedom to choose how deeply to engage, decline touch, change position, pause, or stop. Consent can be changed at any point in a session.

Also known as: Connected breathing

Breathing in a continuous rhythm without intentional pauses between inhale and exhale. The term is used differently in breathwork and in wind-instrument technique.

The process by which one person’s calm, steady presence can help another person’s nervous system settle. It is commonly described in relationships, groups and facilitated settings.

Also known as: Carbon dioxide tolerance

How comfortably a person can tolerate rising carbon dioxide levels before feeling a strong urge to breathe. It is commonly estimated with breath-hold tests and is a central idea in functional breathing methods.

Also known as: Resonance breathing

Slow, even breathing near a person’s cardiovascular resonance frequency, often around five to six breaths per minute. It may support heart-rate variability and relaxation.

Also known as: CCB

An umbrella term for intentional, continuous breathing without pauses. Pace, depth, setting, and facilitation differ among schools such as Rebirthing, Holotropic Breathwork, and Vivation.

A health condition or circumstance that makes a practice inadvisable or requires medical approval and adaptation. Contraindications depend on the intensity and mechanics of the technique.

Also known as: DMN

A set of brain regions that is commonly more active during mind-wandering and self-referential thinking. Changes in its activity are discussed in research on meditation, psychedelics and intense breathing, though findings for breathwork are still limited.

Also known as: Belly breathing

Breathing that emphasizes movement of the diaphragm, usually felt as expansion around the lower ribs and abdomen rather than only in the upper chest.

The downward and upward movement of the diaphragm that changes pressure in the chest and draws air into or out of the lungs. Abdominal movement can reflect it but is not a perfect measure.

A feeling of being detached from one’s body, emotions or surroundings, ranging from mild spacing out to more intense states. If dissociation is frequent or distressing, please seek support from a doctor or licensed mental-health professional before practising intense breathwork.

A free-form group dance practice without choreography, substances, or talking on the dance floor. It shares some goals with breathwork — presence, expression, release — but works primarily through movement rather than breath.

A temporary weakening of the usual sense of being a separate self. It may feel expansive or unsettling and is a subjective experience, not a guaranteed outcome.

The felt experience of being present in and sensing the body. In breathwork, the term usually refers to noticing sensations and responding to them rather than pursuing a particular state.

Also known as: Catharsis

The experience of emotions such as tears, laughter, or anger rising and passing during or after a session. Some people feel relief afterward, others feel nothing; neither means they are doing it right or wrong. Strong or lingering distress deserves care and support.

Also known as: Long-exhale breathing

A gentle pattern in which exhalation lasts longer than inhalation. It is often used to support settling, provided the breath remains comfortable and does not create air hunger.

A person who prepares, guides, and monitors a breathwork session. Training standards vary, so participants should ask about qualifications, screening, consent, and emergency procedures.

A broad approach aimed at efficient everyday breathing, commonly emphasizing nasal, diaphragmatic, quiet, and appropriately paced breathing rather than intense altered-state work.

The movement of oxygen into the blood and carbon dioxide out of it, mainly in the lung's air sacs. Ventilation supports gas exchange but is not the same as oxygen delivery to tissues.

Practices that bring attention back to the body and the present moment, such as feeling the feet on the floor, naming objects in the room, or slowing the breath. Facilitators use grounding at the end of a session and whenever a participant feels overwhelmed.

Also known as: Pre-session screening

A pre-session check for relevant health history, medication, pregnancy, recent procedures, and current wellbeing. It helps identify when adaptation, medical advice, or not participating is the safer choice.

Also known as: HRV

The natural variation in time between heartbeats. It reflects several regulatory processes and often changes with breathing rhythm, posture, activity, and stress.

Also known as: High-ventilation breathing

An umbrella term for practices that deliberately increase breathing rate, depth, or both enough to lower blood CO₂. Effects and risks depend on intensity, duration, health status, and facilitation.

Also known as: Spaceholding

Being attentively present for others without judging, fixing, or steering their experience. In a breathwork group it includes keeping the room calm and safe, staying available to participants, and respecting each person's pace.

A facilitated method developed by Stanislav and Christina Grof that combines intensified breathing, evocative music, and focused bodywork in an extended group setting. The name is, to our understanding, a protected name; Breath & Chill is not affiliated with it.

A broad twentieth-century movement focused on personal growth and experiential learning. Centers such as Esalen brought together contemplative practices, bodywork, group therapy, and altered-state exploration, providing a setting for modern breathwork schools to develop.

Also known as: H⁺ ion

A positively charged hydrogen particle written as H⁺. Its concentration helps determine acidity: when CO₂ falls during over-breathing, H⁺ concentration falls and blood pH rises.

Also known as: Overbreathing

Breathing more air than the body’s current metabolism requires. This lowers arterial CO₂ and can cause light-headedness, tingling, visual changes, or muscle tightening.

An abnormally low level of carbon dioxide in the blood, commonly produced by hyperventilation. It contributes to cerebral vasoconstriction and changes in nerve excitability.

A state of reduced oxygen availability in tissues. Some breathwork methods deliberately create brief, controlled low-oxygen states through breath holds; this is different from uncontrolled oxygen deprivation and requires caution.

A voluntary agreement made after receiving understandable information about a session's format, likely effects, meaningful risks, alternatives, privacy, touch, and the right to pause or stop.

The relative duration of inhalation and exhalation. Practices may use equal phases or a longer exhale, but comfort and unforced breathing matter more than reaching an exact count.

The process of reflecting on an experience and translating useful insights into grounded choices, relationships, or routines after a session.

The perception of signals from inside the body — heartbeat, breath, tension, gut feelings. Breathwork often trains this inner sensing, which is linked to emotional awareness and self-regulation.

Also known as: Free calcium

The free, biologically active form of calcium in blood. During alkalosis, more calcium binds to albumin, so ionized calcium temporarily falls and nerves and muscles may become more excitable.

Also known as: Breath of fire, Skull-shining breath

A traditional yogic cleansing practice of rapid, forceful exhales with passive inhales. It is stimulating and not suitable for everyone, especially during pregnancy or with cardiovascular conditions. It is often called “breath of fire”, although some teachers distinguish the two as different techniques.

The rhythmic repetition of sounds, words, or phrases, which naturally lengthens the exhale and involves the voice and breath together. Chanting and singing share physiological effects with slow breathing practices.

Also known as: Pregnancy, cardiovascular and seizure precautions

Pregnancy, cardiovascular or neurological conditions, seizure history, glaucoma or retinal concerns, recent surgery, and some mental-health conditions can require avoiding or adapting intensive breathwork. Individual guidance belongs with a qualified clinician.

Also known as: Minute volume

The total volume of air breathed in or out per minute, broadly calculated from respiratory rate and tidal volume. Increasing it beyond metabolic need can lower carbon dioxide.

Breathing primarily through the mouth instead of the nose. Habitual mouth breathing is associated with drier airways, poorer sleep quality, and less efficient breathing; functional breath training usually retrains toward nasal breathing.

Also known as: Alternate nostril breathing

A traditional pranayama practice of breathing alternately through each nostril, usually using the fingers to close one side. It is commonly used to settle the mind and balance arousal.

Breathing through the nose, which filters, warms, and humidifies air. It also supports nitric-oxide availability and is commonly preferred during rest and low-intensity activity.

How readily nerve cells respond to stimulation. A rapid rise in pH and the associated fall in ionized calcium can increase excitability, contributing to tingling, muscle stiffness, or tetany.

Also known as: NO

A gas produced in the nasal passages that widens blood vessels and improves airflow and oxygen uptake. Nasal breathing delivers it to the lungs — one reason nasal breathing is emphasized in functional breath training.

A research term for an experience of unity, timelessness, positive mood, and softened boundaries between self and surroundings. It can occur in altered states but is not specific to breathwork.

A contemporary breath-training system by Patrick McKeown, aimed mainly at athletes, using nasal breathing, breath holds, and CO₂-tolerance training to improve breathing efficiency.

Also known as: SpO₂, Blood oxygen saturation

The percentage of haemoglobin carrying oxygen, often estimated by a pulse oximeter as SpO₂. A normal reading does not rule out symptoms caused by low carbon dioxide or other conditions.

Also known as: Panic attack

A sudden surge of intense fear that may include rapid breathing, chest sensations, dizziness, or a sense of losing control. Intense breathwork can resemble or trigger these sensations in some people.

Also known as: Tingling

Sensations such as tingling, pins and needles, or numbness, often in the hands, feet, or around the mouth. During intensive breathing they are commonly linked to lower carbon dioxide and changes in blood chemistry and usually ease when breathing slows. Chest pain, severe cramping, or symptoms that do not settle call for medical attention.

Also known as: Cyclic sighing

A breathing pattern of two inhales followed by a longer exhale. Spontaneous sighs help reopen collapsed air sacs; deliberate repetitions are also used as a short calming practice.

A model by Stephen Porges that describes how different branches of the autonomic nervous system relate to safety, connection and defence. It is popular in somatic and breathwork circles, but several of its physiological assumptions are debated in the scientific literature.

The diverse breath-regulation practices within yoga traditions. Pranayama includes many distinct techniques and should not be treated as a single breathing pattern.

A contemporary branded breathwork format that combines active or connected breathing, breath retentions, electronic music, and facilitation to support altered-state experiences without psychedelic substances.

The process of making sense of and applying insights from intense experiences — psychedelic or breathwork-induced — in everyday life. Integration support helps translate an experience into lasting change.

A diverse family of Chinese practices combining posture or movement, breathing, and focused attention. Qigong comes from its own cultural and medical traditions and is not simply an early form of modern breathwork.

Also known as: QLB

A modern connected-breathing practice associated with Jeru Kabbal that combines rhythmic breathing, music, and guided attention. Evidence specific to this branded method is limited.

Also known as: Flashback

An intrusive return of memories, sensations, or emotions linked to a distressing event. If this occurs during breathwork, slowing or stopping, orienting to the present, and seeking qualified support may be appropriate.

A modern form of conscious connected breathing developed by Leonard Orr in the 1970s. Sessions typically use a relaxed, continuous breath while attention stays with bodily sensations and emotions.

Also known as: Medical warning signs

Symptoms that call for stopping and prompt medical attention, such as chest pain, fainting, severe or unusual shortness of breath, new neurological symptoms, or symptoms that do not settle. This list is not exhaustive.

Directing someone to an appropriately qualified professional when their needs fall outside a facilitator's training or role. Depending on the situation, this may mean medical, psychotherapeutic, or emergency support.

An individual's breathing rate at which heart rate and blood-pressure rhythms tend to coordinate most strongly, often near five to six breaths per minute in adults but not identical for everyone.

A rise in blood pH caused by breathing out CO₂ faster than the body produces it. In intensive breathwork it is generally temporary and reverses as breathing normalizes.

The brain's regulation of breathing in response to carbon dioxide, oxygen, acidity, and other signals. In healthy people, carbon dioxide is usually a major moment-to-moment influence.

Also known as: Breathing frequency

The number of breaths taken per minute. It varies with activity, emotion, health, and deliberate practice and is only one part of a breathing pattern.

Also known as: RSA

The normal tendency for heart rate to rise slightly during inhalation and fall during exhalation. It contributes to breathing-related patterns in heart-rate variability.

The limits of what a facilitator is trained and legally permitted to do. Breathwork facilitation is not psychotherapy, medical treatment or naturopathic practice (Heilkunde): facilitators do not diagnose, treat or promise to relieve illness, and do not advise on medication. In Germany, exercising Heilkunde requires a medical licence, a psychotherapy licence or a Heilpraktiker permit. A responsible facilitator asks about relevant health conditions in advance and refers people to a doctor or licensed therapist when something falls outside this scope.

The ability to notice and respond to one's changing level of arousal, emotion, and bodily need. In breathwork this may include adjusting pace, resting, opening the eyes, or stopping.

Also known as: Intention setting

A flexible focus or quality a person brings to a session. It can guide attention without becoming a demand for a particular result or experience.

The internal mindset ('set') and external environment ('setting') that influence how an experience unfolds. Preparation, trust, privacy, music, and facilitator conduct all contribute.

A term for breathwork sessions framed with shamanic or ceremonial elements such as drumming, music and intention-setting. Formats differ widely between facilitators, and some use the name for their own trained method.

A contemporary branded system combining rhythmic music-led breathing, guided breath retentions, meditation, and group facilitation. Its format differs from older connected-breathing schools such as Rebirthing and Vivation.

A non-diagnostic term for physical expressions such as trembling, movement, tears, sound, or shifts in tension during an embodied practice. These responses do not prove that trauma has been resolved.

Also known as: SKY

A rhythmic breathing sequence with cycles of slow, medium and fast breaths, taught by the Art of Living Foundation. The name is, to our understanding, a protected name; Breath & Chill is not affiliated with it and does not teach it.

Also known as: Fight-or-flight and rest-and-digest

The two main branches of the autonomic nervous system. The sympathetic branch generally raises arousal and readiness for action; the parasympathetic branch is associated with rest and recovery. The popular fight-or-flight versus rest-and-digest picture is a simplification, as both branches work together continuously.

Also known as: Fainting, Passing out

A brief loss of consciousness caused by temporarily reduced blood flow to the brain. Fainting is not a desired breathwork outcome; stop the practice and seek medical assessment when appropriate.

Also known as: Carpopedal spasm

In breathwork, temporary tingling, stiffness, or cramping—often around the hands or mouth—linked to hyperventilation, rising pH, and reduced ionized calcium. Persistent or severe symptoms need medical assessment.

The amount of air moved in or out during one ordinary breath. Together with respiratory rate, it helps determine minute ventilation.

Approaching intense experiences in small, manageable steps instead of all at once. In breathwork this can mean shorter rounds, gentler intensity, or pauses that let the nervous system settle between waves.

A state of absorbed attention in which awareness of time, surroundings, or self may shift. Rhythm, repetition, music, movement, and breathing can contribute, but experiences differ widely.

A movement-based practice combining breath awareness, rhythmic music, and intuitive dance, often with eyes covered. It works with similar mechanisms to breathwork — rhythm, attention, and embodied experience.

A branded connected-breathing method developed by Judith Kravitz that combines a continuous breath with body awareness, sound, movement, and facilitator support. Breath & Chill is not affiliated with it.

A field of psychology that studies experiences extending beyond the ordinary sense of self, including spiritual and altered-state experiences. It helped shape the framework around Holotropic Breathwork and related practices.

An approach that assumes some participants carry difficult past experiences and therefore emphasizes safety, choice, transparency, and the freedom to pause or opt out. It is a way of working, not a form of treatment, and it cannot guarantee that nobody will feel distress.

Also known as: Inner-heat meditation

A Tibetan Buddhist practice that combines breathing, visualization, and bodily discipline within a wider contemplative tradition. It influenced some modern breathing systems but is not identical to the Wim Hof Method.

Also known as: Ocean breath, Victorious breath

A pranayama technique in which the throat is slightly narrowed so the breath makes a soft, ocean-like sound. It is commonly used in yoga to slow and steady the breath.

Also known as: Vagal tone

A major nerve in the parasympathetic nervous system involved in heart rate, digestion, and communication between brain and body. Slow breathing can influence vagally mediated regulation.

Ventilation is the movement of air; oxygenation is the transfer and carriage of oxygen in blood. Breathing more does not automatically mean tissues receive more usable oxygen.

A connected-breathing method created by Jim Leonard in 1979. It emphasizes awareness of sensation, relaxation, and integrating experience rather than pursuing catharsis.

Also known as: Voluntary breath hold

A deliberately chosen pause in breathing. Carbon dioxide usually rises during the pause and oxygen may fall; duration and risk vary with the preceding breathing, the person, and the setting.

Breath holds, rapid breathing, and intense breathing exercises must not be practised in water, while driving, or anywhere a brief loss of awareness could cause harm. Practise seated or lying down in a safe place.

Also known as: WHM

A branded system combining cycles of deep breathing and breath retention with cold exposure and mindset training. Breathing exercises must never be practiced in water or while driving.

A concept from trauma-informed work describing the range of arousal in which a person can feel, think, and stay present without becoming overwhelmed or shut down. Intense breathing can move people toward the edges of this range, which is why pacing and the freedom to slow down matter.